Starlight
by 14mlhecker
Summary: In an ancient battle, The Water Stars were hidden within The Golden Kingdom so that they would not fall into the hands of The Raven. Thousands of years later the moons of Esterel have a new hope: The Butterfly. Note: Postponed until Awakenings is done, and even then I'm not sure about it.
1. A Chapter of Death

"Princess!" Fujie turned to see her Guardians running towards her. "Princess! We must hurry! The Shadow is almost upon us."

Sailor Iris reached The Princess first, "We must combine The Water Stars! We must use them to defeat The Raven!" The Princess looked into the eyes of her friends.

"We cannot." She said after a pause. "We cannot use them and risk their capture."

"Without them we will not be able to destroy The Raven and she will take them from us then!" Sailor Maris reasoned. "We must at least try!"

The Princess brought forth her sister's Water Star and the other Sailor Solders did the same with their own. Her Guardians began to form their circle, but The Princess did not move to join them. She only continued to look at the Water Star before her.

"This Water Star was placed under my sister's protection." She said finally.

"Yes, but she can no longer have it!" Sailor Pearl cried. "We must use it now! We must form The Crystals and use The Starlight to destroy The Raven!" The Princess turned away from her Guardians.

"I cannot destroy her," she whispered, almost crying, she put the Star onto a chain and placed it around her neck. She looked up into the sky and saw The Shadow beginning to cover the planet. "My sister, Sailor Esterel, has abandoned her duty and betrayed us." The Princess turned back to her Guardians. "We must now protect Esterel and her Water Star. We must seal the Water Stars away so The Shadow may never find them." The Princess' Guardians saw that their cause was lost. The Princess was determined to not let The Water Stars combine.

"Where can we hide them? Once she realizes they are gone she will look for them endlessly, eventually she will find them." Sailor Lotus argued. The Princess looked up to the sky again and then back to her Guardians.

"We will take them to The Realm of Fire." The Princess said. "It is the only place she will not look."

"The Realm of Fire?!" Sailor Lotus exclaimed in shock.

"Is it safe for them to go there even in this state? And if so, how will we get there, and where will we hide them? If they interact with The Dragon Flame there will be chaos!" Sailor Maris yelled.

Suddenly, Sailor Geneva offered her friends a rare smile. "The Time Doorway," She said in a matter-of-fact tone. "and The Golden Kingdom. There they will be just outside of The Realm of Fire, and they may not interact with one another."

"The Time Doorway? I thought it was only a myth!" laughed Sailor Iris, "you don't mean it's real? We can travel between realms?" Sailor Geneva nodded.

"It is guarded by Sailor Pluto, a Sailor Solder from The Realm of Fire itself. Each Realm connects somehow to The Time Doorway. It is in a place that is void of space." Sailor Geneva explained. "You don't hear about it because your Stars do not have the ability to affect time and space, but mine does."

"And so does Sailor Esterel's Water Star." stated The Princess. "We must take The Water Stars there, it is the only place."

"How do we get there?" Sailor Lotus repeated.

"Sailor Teleport, but there may be trouble once we get there; travel between worlds is forbidden." Sailor Geneva continued to smile though as she grasped Sailor Lotus' and Sailor Pearl's hand.

"But we must try, it is the only place they will be safe." The Princess stated as she grasped Sailor Pearl's hand.

The other Solders grasped each other's hands.

"Pearl Star Power!"

"Maris Star Power!"

"Iris Star Power!"

"Lotus Star Power!"

"Geneva Star Power!"

"Starlight Crystal Power!"

"Teleport!"

Sailor Geneva and The Princess summoned their Water Stars and used them as Time Keys. "Oh Great Guardian of Time and Space allow us to enter into the realm of The Space-Time Doorway!" A pink cloud opened up to them and they entered into The Great Hall of Time.

"Sailor Pluto!" Sailor Geneva called out, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Sailor Pluto!" The Time Doorway stood unguarded before them

"Sailor Geneva, what has happened?" Sailor Geneva shook her head.

"I do not know, but the only reason she would leave her post was if her own Star System and realm were under attack." She explained. "I've only met her once, but I know she takes this matter very seriously. They must be handling their own great tragedy." The Princess walked right up to The Time Doorway and reached to open it. "Stop!" Geneva cried. "Without a key or the two Ice Stars combined into a crystal, we cannot open the Doorway!"

"But we must! It is the only way!"

"We only need to give the Water Stars away; we do not need to enter it ourselves." Sailor Lotus realized. "Perhaps the Solder of The Golden Kingdom can come to us. If The Golden Kingdom is like this place, void of time and space, she may not need a key to travel back and forth through the void because she is already within it." The Princess turned back to face The Time Doorway.

"That may be so, The Golden Kingdom is like a bubble within the void that connects to The Realm of Fire, and perhaps they do not need a Time Key to go to and from dimensions like we do." Sailor Geneva interjected.

"Oh Guardians of The Golden Kingdom, come before me I beseech you and except the burden I must ask of you!" The Doorway opened wide after a moment's pause, and a rushing wind threatened to pull the Solders into the void.

"Who calls upon us?"

"I am the Guardian Sailor Solder of The Great Star, Sailor Ester, as well as the Princess of the planet Esterel. I call upon you to appear before me! The fate of many rests upon it!" The Princess' Guardians ventured nearer. They understood that The Princess may be giving up her last chance of survival. "Please! I beg of you! Appear before me!"

A nymph appeared and held out her hand towards the Princess. "What is it you ask, Keepers of The Water Stars?" The Princess and The Guardians presented the nymph with her own Water Star.

"Please, take the Water Stars into the Realm of Fire, the realm of The Golden Kingdom!" The nymph turned to leave. "Please! It is the only place I know that will keep them safe from my adversaries!"

The nymph faced the Princess once more. "The Great Dragon and The Water Stars cannot exist within the same realm. That is why the rift was created and that is the way it must stay. If I were to take The Water Stars away from The Realm of Water all would be endangered." The Princess ventured nearer to the Doorway.

"You must take them! If they remain in this realm all will be lost!" The Princess began her final plea, "I know if their powers are muted they will not interact with The Dragon's Flame. Please! Take them, and hide them! In this state their powers are halved!" The Nymph closed her eyes a moment and a new look came to her face.

"I have seen a glimpse into the future, and I see what you say is true. The Water Stars must come to The Realm of Fire; for the sake of both realms." The Nymph placed both her hands and The Princess granted her The Water Stars. "You understand what will surely happen to you without their power?" The Princess nodded.

"But even with their power, I still might fail, and she must never get her hands on them. I must not risk this. At least now, someday The Raven's energy will be destroyed." The Nymph shook her head.

"It will never be destroyed, but only sealed." The Princess stepped back as the Time Door closed.

"So be it." She turned to her Guardians. "Let us join the others on the field." They began their trek back down to their planet. A black smoke covered Esterel and the princess had to pause to gather her strength.

"Iris!" The Princess' smallest Guardian came rushing to her.

"Princess," Sailor Iris asked, "what is it?" The Princess looked Iris in the eyes. Tears seemed ready to spill, but The Princess steadied herself.

"Iris, go to The Secret Palace." Iris' eyes widened.

"Princess, do not send me away! Do not sentence me to that fate! That I should live and you should die! We are your Guardian Solders as well as your friends! Please, do not do this to me!" The Princess placed both hands on Iris' shoulders.

"Sailor Iris," The Princess smiled and the others couldn't help but feel that this would be the last time that her smile would be seen. "Guardian of Esterel's smallest and swiftest moon, please, be our sole survivor."

"Princess! Sailor Ester! I cannot!" Tears streamed down Iris' face. "Sailor Ester it is my duty to protect you!" The Princess put a finger to Iris' lips.

"You were never charged to protect me, but my sister. And besides, I haven't been the true Sailor Ester for a time now." The princess removed the Starlight Crystal from her broach. "Please, take The Starlight to its true owner: The new Guardian of the Star, Ester." The Princess placed The Starlight into Iris' cupped hands. Sailor Iris looked back into The Princess' eyes and knew that The Princess was right.

"But without it you will be powerless! No Winx! No Starlight!" The Princess' last smile disappeared.

"I have one final ace. I will cripple The Raven in one act! I will sacrifice my life, and The Raven will be brought to her knees."

"And The Shadow?"

"Sealed away forever, sent back into the darkness of time and space."

"Princess! If you are gone! The Raven will be left to rule!"

"Go! Sailor Iris!" The Princess ordered, "She will rule, but as a weakened monarch, and one day, she will be overcome! I swear it!" Sailor Iris forced herself to turn away from her Princess and travel to her new charge.

"Princess," Sailor Lotus, the Princess' Guardian's strategy leader, spoke, "I have received word over the wires that The King has been murdered." A sharp pang showed itself on The Princess' face.

"And Prince Raiden?" Sailor Lotus looked away.

"Your husband is still missing." The Princess' Guardians could not help their Princess' pain. A gap in The Shadow's cloud revealed the surface of the planet below.

"We must go now," The Princess grasped the hands of two of her Solders. "The last neutral piece, The King, is now gone. This is the end of this chapter, the chapter of death, the next will be the chapter of rebuilding." The Solders clasped their hands and began the teleport.

"Pearl Star Power!"

"Maris Star Power!"

"Lotus Star Power!"

"Geneva Star Power!"

"_Teleport!"_

All five women descended to the burning planet, and stopped just above the burning castle.

"We must get the Princess to the palace throne room; there she can begin the seal." Lotus declared. She looked on her screen and frowned. "There are many of The Raven's solders closer to the ground. We will not make it to the throne room if they remain in the game." Sailor Geneva grasped hold of her whip.

"I will send a wave of ice upon them," She turned to Lotus. "You get the Princess inside." The others surrounded the Princess and placed her in the middle of their even smaller circle. As the others descended towards the castle Sailor Geneva lifted her whip. "I am the Sailor Solder Guardian of the largest, and coldest moon of Esterel, and leader of the Princess' Guardian Solders, Sailor Geneva!" Her whip began to descend upon the castle. "White Wave Entombment!" Geneva felt her power failing, but she released even more in order to encase the solders around the castle, and then, once The Princess was inside, she encased the whole castle.

"Now no one may enter to interfere with The Princess." She looked up to her protected moon. "Oh Star Seed, go to my Princess. Go, and help her in the way I cannot. Give her strength." She felt her Star Crystal leave her and she felt her body begin to fade. This had always been the oath of the Solders; that, if they could no longer help in any other way, they would give their last strength to The Princess. "Princess Fujie…" Geneva whispered. "Please, seal The Shadow." With this she disappeared.

"Sailor Geneva…" The Princess and her remaining Solders were within the Castle's upper story. A single, silver light reached The Princess and she embraced it. "Sailor Geneva…" A new pain filled her heart as well as a sense of gratitude. She could not be angry. After all, she was about to sacrifice her own life for the same cause. "Goodbye my sweet friend." They continued on down towards the Throne Room.

"Sailor Lotus, what does your computer show?" Sailor Lotus was busy analyzing the rest of the floors.

"Sailor Geneva will not be the last one to make this sacrifice." The Princess shut her eyes and tried to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. "The castle is ablaze." Sailor Lotus' voice was hollow. "The next two levels of the castle are impassible. They are both on fire."

"We must make it down to the throne room!" Sailor Maris shouted.

"But we cannot get down there," Sailor Lotus said, her voice about to break. "Sailor Geneva's ice make's in impossible to travel outside the castle, and the fire rages too wildly for us to pass, even with a fire protection spell, it will take more than ten minutes to get to the throne room."

"No," Sailor Maris ran towards the stairs through the smoke. "I will unleash my own tidal wave and put out the flames."

"You're not strong enough." Sailor Pearl said softly, already knowing Sailor Maris' response.

"I will release all of my power and clear the way. I will make the ultimate sacrifice as well." The Princess reached out her hand and grasped Sailor Maris' shoulder. She couldn't bare it.

"There has to be another way!" She almost screamed. Sailor Pearl grasped the Princess' arm. The Princess looked into Pearl's teary eyes.

"No," She sobbed. "There isn't."

It was now Sailor Maris' turn for her last smile. "We will meet again. Remember, if our Princess succeeds, our Star Crystals will be reborn." She faced the stairwell.

"Sailor Maris…" The Princess began to sob. "Even if they are reborn, it won't be reborn as you!"

"No one can live forever," Sailor Maris said softly. She placed her arms out to her side.

"I am the Sailor Solder Guardian of the darkest and wildest moon of Esterel, as well as the opposite twin of the soft lighted moon Pearl; Sailor Maris!" Sailor Maris lifted her hands and summoned all of her moon's power. "Ocean Crescent Moon Torrent!" The wave turned into a tsunami and Maris felt her power surge and she knew she had succeeded. Now it came for her last sacrifice. "Star Seed…" She thought, "give power to our Princess." Sailor Maris dropped to the floor and The Princess caught her as well as her powers' blue light.

"Sailor Maris!" The Princess watched as she began to fade. "It didn't have to be like this! I didn't need your Star Seed!"

"Yes you did. It is the only way I can help you in your final fight." Sailor Maris reached out for her sister moon. "Sailor Pearl!" Sailor Pearl knelt down beside her. "Your turn will come, and then we will be with one another as a family again."

"Sister!" Sailor Pearl cried. "Sailor Maris!" Sailor Maris was no more than a ghost.

"Princess, be strong," she whispered, "do what you need to, just as like we have."

"Sailor Maris…" Sailor Lotus couldn't keep herself steady either. Sailor Maris closed her eyes and she floated away in a thousand lights.

"Sailor Maris…" The Princess sobbed. Sailor Lotus steadied herself and Sailor Pearl stood up.

"We must go!" Sailor Pearl said harshly. "We must make it to the throne room." She proceeded in front of the others. "Sailor Lotus," she paused and seemed to ready herself, "what lies before us?" Sailor Lotus seemed to analyze the situation.

"Noth…" She paused, "nothing. Sailor Maris wiped out everything. There is only mist and water." The three women descended down towards the throne room while Sailor Lotus analyzed everything around them. After a while, Sailor Lotus stopped walking and her serious face held a hint of sadness. "I cannot go on farther." The others turned to her.

"What is it Sailor Lotus?" Sailor Lotus smiled.

"I have made a grave error in judgment." She looked to the floor. "The mist is not from Sailor Maris, but of The Shadow. It is slowly draining our powers, and that means The Princess' as well." Sailor Pearl stepped towards Sailor Lotus.

"Then it is my turn to make my sacrifice," she said. "I will dispel the fog with my moon's pure light."

"No!" Sailor Lotus said sternly. "The Princess will need your pure light later on to get into the throne room. You will have to dispel the wall of darkness and allow The Princess to enter in. I would not be able to do that," she paused, "but I can do this." Sailor Lotus put down her computer and put on her shielded lenses. "I can enhance my powers and then give the rest to The Princess." Sailor Lotus crossed her arms. "I am the Sailor Solder Guardian of the moon of sand and rivers, as well as the eyes of The Princess' Sailor Guardians, Sailor Lotus!" Sailor Lotus closed her eyes and began to spin. The air around them felt as if it was becoming drier. "Desert Flower Thirst!" The moisture in the air vanished and Sailor Lotus began to wither as her body absorbed the mist. "Star Seed, and my weakened Winx powers, go to our Princess. Help her."

"Sailor Lotus…" The Princess accepted Lotus's green light, but a tear still ran down her face. The Princess held her Desert Flower as she began to disappear. "Sailor Lotus, please, what will I do without your help?" Lotus smiled her last smile.

"Princess, you've never needed me. You've always had your intuition."

"No! I've always needed you! I am nothing without all of you!" The Princess' voice broke. "I can't do anything but rely on others!" Sailor Lotus touched The Princess' face.

"That isn't a bad thing." She said softly. "It makes you a better person, and more understanding," Lotus' smile disappeared, "compared to me." She then disappeared leaving The Princess' hands empty.

Sailor Pearl helped The Princess rise.

"Can we continue on like this?" The Princess asked.

"We must, and we will; for the sake of our planet and realm." Sailor Pearl grasped The Princess' hands and looked into her eyes. "Princess, the time has come for my own sacrifice. Please, be strong, and accept the powers we have given you. With our Sailor Crystals we have given you what is left of our Winx as well. Please, use it in your final battle." Sailor Pearl turned to continue on. "We must get to the wall of darkness Lotus spoke of. There I will make my sacrifice, and you will go on ahead."

"I don't want to be alone, I'm no good alone." The Princess cried. She had tried to look strong in the beginning, but now that the end was nearer and so many of her friends gone, she couldn't pretend anymore.

"You must go on alone." Pearl ordered. "You must not waver or the seal will not work! You must not make our sacrifice in vain! Please Princess! You must act with courage!" Pearl held The Princess' hand as they walked on. "You must seal away The Shadow."

"Am I right to let The Raven rule?" The Princess asked. Sailor Pearl thought a moment.

"Like you said before, a new chapter of rebuilding is coming after this chapter of death. The Raven will not destroy her own planet. Once The Shadow is banished, Esterel will then be able to rebuild." Sailor Pearl stopped walking and The Princess noticed the wall of dark energy before them.

"You are right. I must save my planet and people, but I must also save The Raven from herself." The Princess stepped closer to the wall and turned to Sailor Pearl. "So be it. Let it begin."

Sailor Pearl smiled softly. "I have never been one for flashy announcements. They always seemed too arbitrary in battle."

"And I have always been thankful for that," The Princess acknowledged, "but neither were the others."

Sailor Pearl nodded. "Everyone had been out of character today, so, therefore, I will grant myself one last introduction as well." Sailor Pearl put her hands above her heart and summoned her power. Lifting her hands to the ceiling, Sailor Pearl announced to no one in particular, "I am the Sailor Solder Guardian of Esterel's brightest and most peaceful moon, Sailor Pearl!" Sailor Pearl revealed a bright light emanating from her hands. "Moonbeam Kiss!"

The light of Esterel's brightest moon filled the castle, and the dark wall fell with incredible ease. Sailor Pearl fell into The Princess' arms as her Star Seed left to join her sister's.

"You did it!" The Princess cried with a mixture of joy and sorrow.

"I did do it." Sailor Pearl smiled. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"I see my sister, and the others, they're all smiling. It's as if they know something we don't." The Princess looked into Pearl's eyes to see that she was fading. Perhaps she could see them.

"What do you think that is?" Sailor Pearl was still smiling.

"Peace will come one day…" Sailor Pearl said faintly. Her smile left her and she suddenly felt cold in The Princess' arms. "There is so much pain…"

"You hurt?" Sailor Pearl shook her head.

"The future, it's so dark, but…" She was fading faster now as her weakened powers left her and went into The Princess. "but, there will be a healing light. The… The Butterfly, The Butterfly will heal Esterel."

"Who is she? Who is The Butterfly?" The Princess watched as Pearl's smile returned, and saw her last Guardian turn into a soft light.

The Princess rose from the floor and walked into the devastated throne room.

"Kikuye!" Princess Fujie shouted. "Kikuye! Reveal yourself!" A dark figure moved down from the throne.

"Sailor Ester, Keeper of The Starlight and the Three Water Star Crystals, and not to mention The Princess Fujie of Esterel and Heiress to the Throne: Queen by the right of the Wisteria Vine." The dark figure laughed. "You have so many attributes, but still not enough power to defeat me and the power of The Great Shadow."

"Kikuye, you have forgotten you duty as a Princess of Esterel and its Guardian. The Raven's spirit has corrupted you!" Fujie removed her ring and a scepter formed. "For your betrayal, I will make you pay!"

Kikuye's eyes filled with anger. "What betrayal?" She spat, "I am only taking my right as Sailor Esterel and as Heiress to the Throne: Queen by the right of the Chrysanthemum Branch!"

"That ending title is one of deceit: The Chrysanthemum Branch no longer has the right to rule,and was banished long ago. You betrayed your people by delivering them up to that cursed Shadow! Everything else would have been only a crime against me, but releasing The Shadow was your great betrayal!" Fujie lifted her scepter up into the air. "With my half of The Queen's power, I will seal The Shadow and The Raven's spirit!" Kikuye took off her own ring to reveal a glaive.

"Just try." Kikuye dared.

"Kikuye," The Princess felt an unending sorrow in her heart, "I still love you, please, let me help you, let me release you from The Raven's spirit! Let me free you!" Kikuye sneered at her older sister.

"Never, I choose to release The Raven of my own free will!" Kikuye shouted. "You'll have to kill me if you wish to destroy The Raven! I'll never let it go!"

"So be it." A light emanated from Fujie's scepter and she began to rise off the ground. "Queens of Old, grant me your power. Allow me to make use of my hidden power. Reveal me as Queen!" The Seal of Esterel emanated from Fujie's forhead and Fujie's simple gown transformed into a royal full length dress.

Queen Fujie faced her sister again who looked as if her furry was about to be unleashed.

"It does not matter!" She cried. "I still have half of the power! The Power of Perservance! You are weakened." Kikuye raised up her glaive. "I will unleash my power upon you and destroy you! I will take your title as Queen! Great Shadow, give me the strength to destroy my foe!"

"Let us stop this childish banter!" Queen Fujie exclaimed. "Moonlight of the Great Moons, fill my heart with power, unleash the power of your Guardians within me! Do not let the sacrifice of your guardians be in vain! Power of Sealing! Begin!"

Kikuye and Queen Fujie rose towards the ceiling as each unleashed her own power against the other.

The two Great Powers collided within the Throne Room and each party unleashed everything within them.

Princess Kikuye awoke to see everything around her whole again, and she smiled. She had won… she had preserved herself and her castle. She rose to see her sister lying her head upon seat of the throne. Queen Fujie sat there and felt herself fading. Her sacrifice was complete; she had sealed The Shadow. All was done.

"I've won!" Kikuye laughed. "You're dying."

Queen Fujie looked at her sister, and then, she granted her sister her true last smile.

"Have you won?" she asked. "The ending could have only been this way." She said softly. "Our Powers will always work together, even if we don't, they are one." Fujie closed her eyes.

"You failed though! I still live!" Kikuye laughed. She didn't understand that her sister had never wished to kill her. Fujie took her last strength to lift her head and opened her eyes once more.

"Where is your Great Shadow? What have you really gained?" Kikuye looked around and finally saw that The Shadow was no longer there or anywhere within her.

"What have you done?" Kikuye cried. "Give me your Starlight! The Water Stars" Kikuye reached for her sister only to have her hands go right through her. Kikuye stepped back. "What have you done?!"

"I have sent all the Star Seeds within me to be reborn." Fujie explained. "And The Queen's Power and The Water Stars are hidden where your will never find them." Tears formed in The Queen's eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to purify you of The Raven's spirit," she said weakly, "I just wasn't strong enough to do both. I'm sorry."

Kikuye watched as her sister let out her last breath and her soul fluttered away towards the sky.

Sailor Iris reached The Secret Palace just as The Shadow began to fade from the sky and she knew her Princess, no her Queen, was dying. Throughout her journey she had felt the light of her fellow Guardians go out and each time she felt the same pain. She also felt her Queen's awakening and knew that the final battle had really begun.

Sailor Iris entered the palace and immediately entered the nursery. There stood The Queen's old nurse hold the new Sailor Ester.

"Sailor Iris, what is going on?" The nurse cried. The young princess jolted awake in her arms and began to whimper. Just then, Sailor Iris felt the light of her Queen go out.

"The Queen is dead." Sailor Iris said softly and she sank to the floor. "They're all dead. I am the only one alive."

"Prince Raiden?

"I don't know, but I think it is safe to say he is gone." Sailor Iris reached for the child. "I need to take Sailor Ester away from here." Sailor Iris rose and held the baby close.

"Where will we go?" The nurse was crying now and could not seem to contain herself.

"We will go to Iris." She said. "We will be safe there. The Raven does not know Fujie had a child. She will assume The Starlight is waiting to be reborn. She and her descendants will wait in fear for its reawakening. We must keep Sailor Ester hidden until the time is right." Sailor Iris headed for the door. "Come, we must go, now!"

The two women reached the door and began to journey towards the shipyard when a small yellow light reached them and fluttered into The Princess.

"Sailor Iris!" The Nurse cried out.

"It is alright." Sailor Iris spoke soothingly. "It was The Queen's Power coming to its heir."

"Then Fujie is truly dead?" The Nurse cried. Sailor Iris nodded and kissed the child in her arms.

"We must go now!" The two women raced towards their new home.

Kikuye looked out from the castle to see her revived army.

"I am The Raven, the bringer of death and destruction to my foes!" She shouted. "I call for allegiance! I am the Queen of Esterel!" A surge of power filled her. "I will rule with an Iron Fist, and my decedents and I will be rulers forever!" Queen Kikuye raised her glaive scepter.

"Whom do you serve?!" She screamed.

"Queen Kikuye!" They shouted. Kikuye's head general came to her.

"What is the plan now, my lady?" Kikuye thought a moment.

"We rebuild and strengthen ourselves." She advised. "The Starlight is still missing, and so are The Water Stars. Our war may not be over." She turned and left the balcony. "We will search for The Water Stars, and build Esterel into the strongest kingdom to ever be known." Queen Kikuye sat down upon her throne.

"We will be ready when The Starlight is reawakened," The Queen said, "and the real war will begin."


	2. An Omen

**Note: **There is a lot of information I needed to put into this so its kind of a boring but necessary chapter. In the original version all of this was revealed later, but I found it difficult to write it that way. So, here it is, the lengthy dialogue that I hate to write. Maybe I will split the story in two and this will be like an origin story, hmm...

* * *

The Queen's head general rushed into the court room and the look upon his face was one of amazement.

"Your majesty, a strange light shines in the sky!" The Queen sat upon her throne with her eyes closed. "Your majesty!" The Queen raised her hand in order to silence him.

"I have seen it." She said plainly.

"Is it a good omen or one of disaster?" He asked frantically. "What does it mean?" The Queen rose and opened her eyes.

"I am not sure, but it is an emblem I have never seen before." The Queen turned to one of her servants. "Bring me The Prophet!" The servant, a small but swift girl rushed to summon The Prophet.

"You think he will be able to tell us its meaning?" The general asked. The Queen stepped outside the castle onto the balcony.

"I fear it means the last battle is approaching." The Queen informed her general. He asked her many more questions, but she refused to speak anymore until The Prophet arrived.

The Prophet was a man they claimed had been in contacted with The Starlight's powers at a very young age and it had bestowed upon him the gift of visions. The Queen herself did not believe this, for The Starlight was not known to have been awakened yet, but she did know his predictions to be true.

The young servant came rushing back and announced The Prophet's coming.

"He says he wishes to meditate on the matter first." She said. The Queen nodded. She would not rush his gift.

An hour later The Prophet entered The Throne Room to see a worried Queen. The Queen turned to her servants and general.

"Leave us!" she yelled.

"My dear Raven," he cried out. "your worries have only begun!" The Queen rushed towards him, but her face showed no worries anymore, but only anger.

"You must tell me what you have seen!" The Prophet walked out onto the balcony and pointed to the emblem.

"What do you see the emblem as?" He asked her. "What is it?" The Queen shook her head.

"I see a winged creature, but not a Raven. It is still unclear." The Prophet took out a piece of paper and outlined the emblem to reveal it as its true form.

"It's a butterfly?" The Queen exclaimed. "No, it cannot be!"

"But it is." The Prophet chuckled. "As I have said, this is only the beginning of your worries." The Queen glared at him.

"You know the rebellious moons use the butterfly as their symbol! Why do you laugh? My destruction means your destruction!" The Prophet shook his head.

"I said it was the beginning of your worries, not of your destruction." The Queen was confused.

"If I am not to be destroyed, then why shall I worry?"

"Do you know why the rebellion chooses The Butterfly as their emblem?" The Queen shook her head.

"I really don't care what symbol they use, only that they are to be crushed!" The Prophet shook his head and looked as if he were about to scold her.

"You must always know your enemy!" He exclaimed. "You are the host of The Raven's spirit, they know this and know almost everything about your power, but what do you know of them?"

"All I know, and all I need to know is that my ancestors destroyed The Wisteria Vine's last heir and the pesky moons have been rebelling ever sense, all the while we wait for The Starlight to be reborn, and for them to make a foolish move and reveal to us where they have hidden The Water Stars and the rest of The Queen's Power." The Prophet laughed.

"You know nothing." He turned to walk back into the castle.

"You know something that my spies do not?" The Prophet could only laugh.

"The moons' Sailor Solder Guardians have been awakened." The Queen nodded.

"We have been aware of this," The Queen stated. "but even those five cannot defeat me!"

"Are you an idiot?" The Queen raised her scepter.

"Do you wish to insult me again?!" She snarled. The Prophet waved his hand as if he were not afraid.

"The Solder's Star Seeds were released by the Wisteria Vine's so-called last heir." He stated. "This is the same time The Starlight was said to have been sent to be reborn as well. If the Star Seeds have been reborn, then shouldn't The Starlight be reawakened soon as well?" The Queen thought a moment.

"So this is what the emblem means? That the Starlight has been reborn?" The Prophet could not contain his laughter.

"You think you have all the answers, don't you?" He asked. He was testing her patience, but he knew that she considered him a valuable resource. "The Starlight has been awake for a long time."

"What?!"

"In fact," he said. "I don't believe it was ever sent to be reborn."

"Impossible! If that were true," The Queen paused and took in that possibility. "if that were true that would mean that the Wisteria Vine still has an heir!" The Prophet put his hand on The Queen's shoulder.

"Finally," he said, "she thinks."

"No!" The Queen shouted. "I do not believe you! What proof do you have?!"

"History shows that there was a continuous line of Sailor Iris', I believe she survived the ancient battle and was sent to take care of a sleeping Sailor Ester. Her Star Seed was never sent to be reborn, but passed down to her daughter!" The Queen covered her ears.

"NO!"

"The Starlight's powers were never used in the final battle: she didn't transform into Sailor Ester!" The Prophet let that sink into her heart and watched as The Queen began to squirm. "I am confident of this: That the Wisteria Vine's last Queen," he paused and felt a sense of pleasure in her pain, "had a child!"

The Queen sat down upon her throne in order to take this in.

"Then why have they not tried to overthrow me?" She asked.

"They have been waiting for the other five Sailor Solders." The Prophet stated. The Queen stared back at the fading emblem.

"You never said why the rebellion chooses a butterfly as their symbol. It has never been a part of Esterel's history before." The Prophet turned to see the emblem again.

"Before the last battle," The Prophet explained. "the last of the Sailor Solders had a vision. That The Butterfly will heal Esterel." The Prophet turned to see The Queen's reaction.

"The Butterfly is a person?" The Queen asked calmly.

'Yes, and this emblem heralds her birth. She, and you daughter, The Princess, will battle to the death in this very throne room."

"Who wins?" The Prophet smiled.

"I do not see the vision clearly enough, but I do know, that whoever controls The Water Stars, will be the winner. If your daughter is in control, The Raven will destroy The Butterfly."

"Where are they?!" The Queen used her scepter to throw the king's throne to the ground. Ever since her ancestors took control of Esterel The Water Stars had eluded them. "Where do the moons keep them?!" The Prophet shook his head.

"They do not have them either." He said. He closed his eyes. "Many times I have seen their location, but I did not know where it was. Finally, after much research, I know the name of their location."

"What did you see?" The Queen approached The Prophet menacingly.

"A place where The Sailor Solders cannot travel to without The Water Stars or a Time Key."

"Time Key?" The Queen thought a moment, and then burst out laughing. "It cannot be!" Her laughter filled the Throne Room. "Oh, please no." She had to sit down. "Why had we not discovered this sooner…" She contained herself again. "Where did the ancient Sailor Solders hid them? What time and place?"

"A place with no time at all, and a place where Water Stars should never exist: The Golden Kingdom." The Prophet removed a Time Key from his robes and The Queen sprung up to grab it.

"Take me there!"

"Wait! You are not thinking! If you claim The Water Stars now all will be lost! They would take them from you!"

"Then what shall I do?" The Prophet placed the key into her hands.

"The final battle will be between your child and The Butterfly, you must wait for your daughter to be old enough to fight."

"She is only two weeks old herself!" The Queen cried. The Prophet nodded.

"We have plenty of time before all of this unfolds, yes, but the wait will be worth it, and in order to end this war we must be patient." The Prophet turned to leave.

"There is nothing more I can tell you." The Prophet turned back to see The Queen one last time. "A time is coming when you will have to use your power to preserve the planet." He rushed back to The Queen and grabbed hold of her hands and brought them up to her face and she was forced to view the Time Key. "If you combine your Queen's Power with this Key's power," he paused and a wicked smile came to his face. "you could effectively seal us away in a time lock."

"Time lock?" The Queen echoed. The Prophet's evil smile affected The Queen's heart in a way she couldn't understand, she loved it.

"If the time lock is correctly formed," he explained. "all of time would stop and everyone would remain frozen in time until…" He paused. "until The Raven reawakes them." His eyes flashed with an evil glimmer.

"But if I am The Raven, and I am frozen, how can I reawaken them?" The Queen asked furiously.

"Who said you had to be The Raven when you set the seal? All you need is your Queen's power!" Now it was The Queen's turn to smile.

"Oh you devilish man!" she laughed.

"Finally she thinks." He turned to leave once more and exited to see The Queen's servants and general pressed to the door. He stared the smallest servant in the eyes for a moment and finally recognized her. His laughter accumulated as he walked down the hall. Personally, he didn't care who won, at least that was what he told himself, just as long as he could watch the show down clearly, and at this moment he saw a multitude of scenarios. He turned back to look at the servant girl. "Oh this is going to be more interesting than I had thought!"


	3. A Report

**Note:** Another chapter I'm not really comfortable with, oh well. Just note that the Sailoritas are like Sailor Chibi Moon: Solders in training. They are just called Sailoritas due to their culture, -ita meaning small.

* * *

The young servant girl rushed into the woods just outside of the castle under the cover of the night. The light of the five moons illuminated the woods around her enough to see where she was going, but the night gave her enough cover to hide from the guards. Once she was far enough away from the castle, she grasped hold of her wand and lifted it up towards the sky.

"Light of smallest and swiftest moon of Esterel, shine upon me and transport me to your sacred castle! I am the Sailor Suited Solder, Sailorita Iris!" Sailorita Iris lifted up into the air and almost instantly she found herself transported to the moon's castle and surrounded by three other Sailor Solders.

"Sailorita Iris!" Sailor Iris embraced her daughter and almost began crying. It had been so long since she had seen her that she could not contain herself.

"Mama!" Sailorita Iris exclaimed. "You must let go! I have important information!" Sailor Iris released her daughter who took in a long breath.

"Yes," Sailor Iris laughed. "we wouldn't want you to die of asphyxiation before your report." Sailorita Iris' eyes grew serious.

"Mother," she paused a moment. "you all have seen the symbol above Esterel, correct?" Sailor Iris and the others nodded and smiled widely.

"Yes! What a wondrous day!" exclaimed the beautiful woman next to Sailor Iris: Sailor Pearl's happiness was almost parallel to Sailor Iris'. Everyone in the castle seemed happy, and each all seemed to understand the symbol above Esterel. "The Butterfly will heal Esterel!" Sailor Maris placed a hand on Sailor Pearl's shoulders.

"Let us hear what our little Iris has to say, shall we?" Sailorita Iris, a small teenage girl who looked almost nothing like her mother, stepped into the strategy room where the rest of the Sailor Solders were standing excitedly talking. The room felt as if there was a holiday. Suddenly, Sailorita Iris understood why, it wasn't just because of the symbol in the sky.

"Sailor Ester has had her baby…" Sailor Genevita rushed towards her and the only thing preventing Sailorita Iris's smile was the grave news she had for everyone.

"So Sailor Ester's child is The Butterfly?" Sailorita Iris walked into the center of the room and lifted up her wand. "Sailor Solder Guardians, I have a report!" Sailor Lotus walked up to her.

"We can put our duties beside us today, today we celebrate." Sailorita Iris was taken aback usually Sailor Lotus was the most rational Solder, and always saw to it everyone was working to their full potential.

"No, this cannot wait! I bring news from the very throne room of Esterel! This is the most important of information! I must demand a report!" The chatter in the room died away as she spoke and suddenly a tension filled the air. It was as if Sailorita Iris had released a shadow within the room. Her dark news seemed to penetrate their being even before she spoke it.

"Speak, Sailorita Iris." Sailorita Iris closed her eyes and tried to speak loud enough so all could hear her.

"The Queen knows where The Water Stars are hidden." The shadow Sailorita Iris released engulfed them and each Solder understood what was approaching.

"But how?!" cried out Sailor Maris.

"The Prophet has revealed the location to her. He has had visions of their location and after much research; he has finally discovered their location's name. He knows we sent them to The Golden Kingdom." Sailorita Iris finally opened her eyes to see the shadow she had released fully engulf them.

"That man should die for this! He wouldn't even have this power if it wasn't for The Starlight! How could he betray us?" cried Sailor Genevita. Sailor Lotus shook her head.

"He has never been a part of this, he has always been neutral. If someone asks his insight he gives it. If we had asked him, he would have told us. My problem with him is that he is a heartless man who only wishes to watch the final battle and does not care about all the people he hurts. He thinks of this war as a game." She explained.

"There is more, and I fear it is the worst item of all." Sailor Lotus looked back to Sailorita Iris and couldn't imagine something worse.

"It does not matter, nothing could be worse. Our only solace is that The Queen will have a hard time getting to The Water Stars without a Time Key." Sailorita Iris looked away from Sailor Lotus.

"No…" Sailor Lotus couldn't believe it.

"The Prophet has given her a Time Key!" Sailorita Iris shouted. The shadow exploded into a flash of light as all the Sailor Solders started talking at once. Many questioned how he came upon this Time Key, others questioned if Sailorita Iris' information was true, or if The Queen had given out false information.

"Sailorita Iris, are you sure?" Sailorita Iris nodded.

"I saw it with my own eyes." She stated plainly. "It was a Time Key, and there is one more thing." She paused a moment. "I couldn't hear all they were saying, but I distinctively heard the word 'time lock'." Sailor Lotus sank to her knees. An evening that had started as a herald of good things to come was now a herald of destruction.

"If she uses a time lock," Sailor Lotus explained. "she will freeze all of time. She could send someone to get The Water Stars and come back to break the lock then she would destroy us all before The Butterfly was even ready to begin the fight."

"Has all our hopes been destroyed?" asked Sailor Iris. Sailor Pearl came forward and walked towards Sailorita Iris.

"It was my Star Seed's last carrier who foresaw the healing of Esterel," She stated. "and tonight I have been given a glimpse of this as well." She stood next to Sailorita Iris.

"What I have seen, I know, will come to pass. I know it. When I saw it I felt so much peace. There was no doubt that it would happen. Even now I feel peace." Sailor Pearl turned to help Sailor Lotus to her feet. "We will succeed, and all will be made right again in this realm."

"The Prophet told The Queen that the one who controls The Water Stars will win the final battle." Sailorita Iris explained.

"Then we must get them before she does." Sailor Iris exclaimed. "We can win, and we will win for the sake of everyone!"

"But how will we if The Queen uses a time lock?" asked Sailor Lotus. The others thought a moment, but no one could think of an answer. Sailor Iris turned to her daughter.

"You must go back to the castle and gather more information." Sailorita Iris turned to leave. "Sailorita Iris!" The teenage girl turned to her mother who rushed towards her and hugged her. "Please, be safe." She kissed her daughter on the head.

"I will do what I must." Sailorita Iris raised her wand and slowly disappeared.

"Sailor Pearl and Sailor Maris, you two pay a visit to our dear friend, The Prophet. We need more information." Sailor Pearl and Sailor Maris both headed out. Sailor Iris turned to Sailor Lotus. "We will begin to work out different scenarios."

"What about us?" Sailor Genevita cried. Sailor Iris turned to the Sailoritas and bent down to look them in the eyes.

"Go and protect your princess." The Sailoritas looked at each other and did not fully understand.

"Our princess?" Sailor Iris smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you are the Sailoritas, and just like we Sailor Solders must protect our princess you must protect yours. It is your first and foremost duty until you take over as your moon's Guardian."

"We are The Butterfly's Guardians?" Sailorita Pearl, the youngest, spoke up; she was no more than four. The other Sailoritas couldn't believe it.

"How can we be The Butterfly's Guardians? We are not that strong! She is going to heal the planet while we are nothing! We don't even have any strong powers! We're just children!" cried Sailorita Maris.

"Even the smallest person has power to change things. And The Butterfly herself is only hours old. You have plenty of time before the final battle."

"But what Sailorita Iris just-"Sailor Iris lifted her hand to silence them.

"Believe in what Sailor Pearl has said. The Butterfly will heal Esterel, and you will be a part of it. Please believe it." Sailor Iris stood up to go back to her duty. "Please, go to your princess." The Sailoritas left the strategy room and walked down the hall towards where Sailor Ester and their princess were sleeping.


	4. The Prophet

**Note: **Another chapter that was never meant to be, but had to be in order for a lot of things to be clear. I just couldn't reveal it later on and have it make sense to anyone else but me! *sigh*. More annoying dialogue that seems awkward.

* * *

The Prophet's laughter was uncontrollable when he saw the two hooded figures enter his home.

"I knew you would come," he said finally, "Sailor Pearl and Sailor Maris: Guardians of the Opposing Twin Moons." He shook his head. "Yet with all your differences, your Star Seeds always seem to find a way to bond. Do you know the history of your Star Seeds?" The two Sailor Solders approached The Prophet and removed their hoods.

"We have come to discuss a matter with you, not to learn of our history." Sailor Maris clarified. The Prophet nodded but still ventured in his story.

"Your Star Seeds use to be one and protected a single moon, but before its first awakening, the moon was divided by the same explosion that created The Water Stars and The Great Dragon. The Star Seed was torn in two and was separated into a light crystal and a darker crystal: your own Star Seeds." He turned away from the two Solders. "I believe you are the first Sailor Solders of those two moons who were not twin sisters. It is a sign of things changing." The Prophet looked to view the Solder's reactions. "I have seen a vision of the final battle, but its outcome is still unclear. It all depends on who gains The Water Stars: The Starlight or The Raven."

"We have come to hear all that you know." Sailor Maris took a step forward as she said this. Sailor Pearl kept a distance away.

"I know that if The Queen feels threatened, she will use a time lock and seal it with The Raven's echo." The Prophet said.

"Yes, and who so graciously told her of the time lock?" Sailor Maris asked as she leaned down to stare him in the eyes.

"Why, I did!" The Prophet laughed. "I had discovered the location of the last Time Key in this realm and I graciously leant it to our fair Queen, and you should thank me!"

"Thank you?" Sailor Maris shouted.

"You're welcome." The Prophet laughed. Sailor Maris looked as if she were ready to drown him.

"You have caused us great distress!" Sailor Maris yelled. "If she uses the time lock how shall we fight?" The Prophet rose from his chair and went to the window.

"You cannot go after The Water Stars yourselves without a time key, correct?" This only enraged Sailor Maris more.

"Of course not!" Sailor Maris yelled, Sailor Pearl stepped in between the two of them and then turned to The Prophet.

"Prophet, you have gained much insight into this matter, more than I could ever wish to gain from my own visions, but why did you give The Time Key to The Queen when we both know that The Butterfly is destined to heal Esterel? Even you wouldn't wish for your planet's destruction." The Prophet stood unmoving.

"Where did you even get the Time Key?" Sailor Maris demanded.

"It does not matter where I found it, but in order for the time lock to work, you must either have the power of time and space, or a preserving power, such as The Queen's." Sailor Pearl stood silently as Sailor Maris flared. "No one in this realm has the powers of time and space. All you two have is you Star Seeds and your base powers. Your Winx lays dormant and will not be reawakened without The Water Stars."

"Prophet," Sailor Pearl could sense a pain within him. It was as if two opposing forces were fighting within him, "who do you truly wish to win? Do not say you do not care, for I can feel a preference." The Prophet turned to face her.

"I do have a preference." He admitted. "I too need healing. My Star Seed has been infected with a power from The Realm of Fire, there they call it Chaos, here they call it The Shadow." The two Sailor Solders looked at him in disbelief. "I have been fighting its twisted evil for all of my life, but now I can no longer fight it. Slowly, I can feel myself turning" He sighed.

"Impossible!" cried Sailor Maris. Sailor Pearl tried to keep her head.

"It cannot be. The Shadow has been sealed away! It cannot come back! Our Star Seeds' last carrier made sure of this!" Sailor Pearl stepped closer towards him. "You must be mistaken."

"You have sealed away The Shadow, but a faint echo of Chaos has found its way into our realm, and has cling itself onto my Star Seed." The Prophet explained.

"And another thing," Sailor Maris said angrily. "how do you, a male, have a Star Seed? Only women can be Sailor Guardians!" The Prophet nodded.

"There are times when a Star Seed is accidently reborn within a male." He explained. "My Star Seed is a mystery even to me. Only, on the day of my birth, a comet was passing by our star, Ester. I believe this is where my Star Seed comes from, and with it an echo of Chaos."

"You wish for healing, so The Butterfly must be your choice, but how does a time lock help our cause?" Sailor Pearl asked. The Prophet smiled.

"If pressured The Queen will send her daughter into the Realm of Fire and create a time lock, but if you could get her to send The Butterfly instead, The Water Stars would be yours." Sailor Pearl shook her head.

"You have said yourself, and I have seen it as well, the final battle takes place between the two princesses: The Raven and The Butterfly. You have left out something." The Prophet nodded.

"Yes, but as I have said, no everything is clear." Sailor Pearl seemed to grow a bit hostile.

"But you have seen this! I know you have! What must happen for us to get The Starlight out of the time lock?" Sailor Pearl seemed to take on Sailor Maris' anger.

"You must seal away The Princess within her." The two Sailor Solders looked at him in alarm. What he said was impossible.

"If we seal The Princess within The Butterfly we will also be sealing The Raven within her." Sailor Maris complained.

"Which is exactly what we must do…" Sailor Pearl realized.

"The Queen is going to create a time lock no matter what, but she will lock it with The Raven's powers as the key. In order for The Butterfly to undue the time lock, she must have The Raven."

"It'll be too dangerous! The Raven may take over her soul!"

"We must chance it or be stuck having no one to fight The Princess once she returns with The Water Stars.

"If you will excuse me, I have told you everything I can. Please, leave." The two Solders left still arguing over what they were to do.


	5. Sailors at Odds: Heartbreaking Decisions

"We must do as Sailor Pearl says." Sailor Ester declared. "We must send Seraphina to The Realm of Fire."

"But Sailor-" Sailor Lotus began.

"No!" Sailor Ester held the newborn closer to her heart. "We have to," She paused. "and I will go with her!" The room fell silent and the group could only watch as Sailor Ester walked towards the map of their battle plans. "We will storm the castle," she said quietly, "and The Raven will be sent to The Realm of Fire." Sailor Ester turned to the oldest Sailorita.

"Sailorita Iris!" The child stepped forward. Though she was small, the Sailorita carried herself like a true solder.

"Sailor Ester," Sailorita Iris knelt before her.

"Do you think we could succeed in replacing the Princess with Seraphina?" Sailorita Iris thought a moment.

"It would have to be done very carefully. The Queen has sent The Princess to a nearby castle and hardly sees her. If we could get Seraphina to The Queen first and trick her into giving The Raven to her we could succeed."

"But if she is given The Raven she would be corrupted by it! We must seal The Princess within her after she is given The Raven!" Sailor Pearl complained.

"And how do you suppose we do that?!" Sailor Maris yelled at her. The tensions between the two seemed as if they were about to explode. Sailor Pearl thought a moment and shook her head.

"I don't know," Sailor Pearl turned away to look out the window and stared her own moon as Sailor Maris stepped closer to her.

"And you're the one who is supposed to have all the answers!" Sailor Maris shouted. "Believe in my vision! I know what I saw! Believe! Believe! Believe!" Sailor Maris looked as if she were about to physically hurt Sailor Pearl. "You claim to know the future but can't even tell us how to get there!"

"Sailor Maris!" Sailor Ester had had enough of her. Sailor Maris did not turn to meet her eye and continued to stare at the back of Sailor Pearl's head.

_"It is a sign of things changing."_

The silence penetrated the room as Sailor Maris waited for Sailor Pearl to answer.

"I can't explain how it is going to happen," Sailor Pearl said finally. "I just know it must and it will." Sailor Pearl turned towards Sailor Maris. "Why are you so angry?" Sailor Maris turned toward the window now.

"Unlike you, I can't see the hope in all of this." Sailorita Pearl grabbed hold of Sailor Maris' hand.

"There is always a hope" She said with a smile, "just as long as someone keeps it alive." As Sailor Maris stared into her crystal blue eyes she felt all of her worries melt away. This little girl had only known war and destruction, yet here she was, gentle and kind, as well as full of unbelievable hope; she truly was the future pearl of the skies. Sailor Maris looked into her eyes and she could almost see the future. Sailor Maris knelt down and embraced the little Sailor and small tears rolled down her face.

"Sailorita Pearl," Maris cried. Sailorita Pearl placed her hand on the older Solders face.

"Always believe." The little Solder whispered. Sailor Pearl placed her hand on her daughter's head and the Sailorita looked up towards her mother.

"Thank you, Sailorita Pearl." Sailo Maris released the girl and the Sailorita joined the rest of her team to the side. The whole room was silent as Sailor Maris rose to her feet and Sailor Pearl hugged her sister-in-spirit.

_"Yet with all your differences, your Star Seeds always seem to find a way to bond..."_

Sailor Pearl and Sailor Maris turned to the rest of the Sailor Solders. Sailor Ester turned her attention back towards her daughter.

"Why can't we just make a peaceful future for our children?" Sailor Ester asked tearfully. "Why must this war be theirs? Why are we not strong enought to just end it?" The rest of the Sailor Senshi couldn't answer her question. Sailorita Geneva stepped forward.

"Because this is our destiny!" She declared, "The Butterfly is our princess," she glanced over towards Sailor Iris as she said this, "and we are the ones destined to help her." Sailor Ester shook her head in sorrow.

"I just wish..." She didn't finish her statement, and she didn't have to. All of the other Sailor Senshi felt the same way. Sailor Ester straightened up and her face grew determined and she turned to Sailor Lotus. "Let us begin!" Sailor Lotus nodded and began to plan.

"Sailor Ester, what if we seal The Butterfly within The Princess?" The others in the room stood silent as if she had just spoken hereisy, but no one wanted to admit that she might be.


	6. Laying Siege

The accursed moons bombarded Esterel's castle day and night. The Queen had no fear though. She had the upperhand, and the only thing that could keep her from victory was if The Princess was not brought to her in time. Even this didn't worry her. She had no worries about The Princess' well being. She knew how this all ended. With her daughter safe outside the time lock and the pitiful moons' last hope trapped underneath its spell.

"Let them come!" The Queen laughed! The Queen's servant came to her.

"Your majesty! Your general's are begining to fall!" The Queen smiled.

"Those pesky moons don't know what they are going against!" The Queen pulled out the Time Key and observed it. She turned to the servant, in the last few weeks the servant had been by her side almost constantly and The Queen was almost certain that she would give her life for The Queen or The Princess. The Queen smiled, this loyalty was so rare in youth now that the mere sight of the servant caused The Queen to have hope that such loyalty still exsisted in every young person. "You, know, I never have known your name." The Queen stated. She didn't really care but her curiousity demanded to know. The servant seemed surpirsed that The Queen even wanted to know.

"My name is Rainbow." The Queen laughed.

"Such a silly name!" Rainbow had never seen The Queen laugh so innocently or without a hint of malace. "Do they call you anything else?"

"They do call me other things." Rainbow stated slowly.

"Like what?" Before Rainbow could answer another servant girl came rushing in.

"Your majesty! The Princess and her nurse are within the tunnels, but their way is blocked by enemy forces!" Rainbow looked into the eyes of the other servant and knew that now was the time.

"Your Highness!" Rainbow said in a determined voice. "Let us go help them!" The Queen smiled, but with this smile the malace returned.

"Go, Rainbow! Protect your princess." And that was just what Sailorita Iris intended to do.

* * *

Rainbow and the other servant raced towards the tunnels.

"Its all coming together." The other girl said. Sailorita Iris turned to Sailorita Geneva.

"We cannot get too carried away." The Sailorita smiled.

"Whatever you say, RAINBOW!" Sailorita Iris laughed.

"What about your name, hmm? JUNIPER!" Sailor Geneva made a disgusted face.

"Ugh... At least its not as tacky as Rainbow!" Sailor Iris shook her head.

"Well, I won't have her calling me Raine!" Sailor Geneva nodded in agreement.

"I guess I wouldn't want her calling me Junie." The two Sailoritas laughed.

"Lets just face it, all of our names need imporvement. At least the nicknames are semi-normal!" The two entered the tunnels and almost ran into the two massive guards. Though they seemed like brutes the two seemed petrified by the moons' attacks. The guards did have enough courage to stop the two girls though.

"Travel outside is forbidden!" Sailor Iris handed them a paper.

"We must get through! We must help The Princess!" The two guards looked at each other and then the paper. Finally the guards stepped back and let the two girls race through towards their princess.

* * *

**Note:** Yes! I know the names are stupid! But seriously, Usagi means Rabbit and Momoru means Protect, and don't forget Techna... I think I can be forgiven!


End file.
